The Wicked Wench At The Cemetery

Gideon Jacobs, Henny Jacobs, Jeannette Jacobs, Carl Jacobs, Ann Jacobs, and a lot of other members of the Jacobs family were buried at the Bathern Grounds cemetery in Toronto. This made Avi Jacobs think about his future.

Covid-19 was destroying lives and many people had died, which caused Avi to think about final resting places. He decided he wanted to be buried at the Beth Israel section of Bathern Grounds with the rest of his family when his time came.

He sent a note to the Synagogue his family had always supported and been members of and asked about membership. He hadn't joined them because they had become an egalitarian shul and he felt more comfortable in a modern orthodox setting. They sent back a note saying it would cost four thousand dollars to join plus they would need a minimum of a thousand dollars a year to maintain the membership. In the email, there was a line that said if Avi didn't want to join the Beth Israel, Bathern Grounds had five hundred plots they were selling and he could buy one from them.

After thinking about the situation, Avi decided to call Bathern Grounds to find out how much a plot would cost. His call was answered by a secretary who said Bathern Grounds didn't sell plots, when Avi told her this wasn't the information he was given, she told him she would put him through to her boss.

The call was transferred and a very angry woman answered and shrieked ''We don't sell plots'' and the line went dead. Avi couldn't believe it and shook his head in dismay. Two seconds later, his line rang and it was the same voice that had just yelled at him. ''I didn't hang up on you, it was your fault the line went dead,'' Avi said he was confused Beth Israel had sent him an email that plots would be sold. She again became very angry. ''Yeah, Well, I have a waiting list of four hundred people and it will be seven years before we sell a plot. Why aren't you a member of a Synagogue? If you need a plot I could send out an email to the fifty societies who make up the cemetery and see if there's one plot available for you, but the odds of them selling one to you is very doubtful. I have seven hundred people on my waiting list, I could put you on the list, these people have been waiting for a plot for years, you'll be at the bottom and the chances of you being buried at this cemetery are not very good. If you think otherwise you're wrong.''

Avi asked her why she was being so aggressive ''Because you are speaking with a tone I don't like, you are the one who is out of control and being aggressive.'' Avi tried to explain that he was merely trying to find out the cost of a plot and that his family was all buried at Bathern Grounds. Her response was to unload on him like he had asked if he could see her naked and post it on tik tok. ''I told you, there won't be any plots available and we have seven hundred people waiting for them. When I said we don't have plots for sale, I mean we don't have plots for sale. Why can't you understand that?''

He asked the woman her name and she said ''You can find it on the Bathern Grounds website. It won't make a difference, you are the one being rude and ignorant.'' Avi was taken aback, talking about and thinking about death was not easy, and this woman didn't show one fiber of decency or empathy, she had been a complete and total wench. She was supposed to be a woman dealing with issues at a cemetery, but somewhere along the way she had become completely desensitized. It was tragic. She used the eventual release of plots at Bathern Grounds as some kind of weapon and power trip. She showed absolutely no soul, understanding or caring. She was devoid of decency.

Avi knew he was defeated, the woman talked over him, wouldn't allow him to speak in a civil way, wouldn't allow for civil conversation and just wanted to ram her opinions and uncalled for hostility down his throat. She had absolutely no empathy or concern for what a person was feeling. She was brutal.

At the end of the conversation, which Avi wanted to get out of because it was causing his ulcer to flare up, he said ''I wish you long life'' He wasn't going to sink to her level of disgusting diatribe and anger. She responded by saying ''Oh, I wish you a long life.'' She said it in such a way that there wasn't one shred of sincerity in her voice. Avi thought, whatever she wishes me I wish her double as he hung up.

As he sat back down on his chair, he took a long deep breath and exhaled. He thought about how miserable human beings could be to others. How they could lose perspective and try to show how important they were. In this case this woman thought that running a cemetery made it okay to treat living people with complete and total disrespect.

Avi thought about his ancestors. He would try and make enough money to join Beth Israel and hoped he would live a very long life, but when the day came and he passed he silently prayed that he would be buried near his family at Bathern Grounds. He also prayed that he would never encounter or deal with another person like the Bathern Grounds property manager. She had given him a glimpse of what hell must feel like. Getting attacked for no reason and not being able to escape. Who knew a devil incarnate could run a cemetery.